Women, Art and Technology (review)

There are many reasons why a book with this title should not be published at all, the main one being that no one would think of writing or editing its mirror image, "Men, Art & Technology." For some decades, women have been at the forefront of developments in art and technology, as they have been in diplomacy, politics, gardening and medicine. Yes and no. The facts are there, the names as well, but perception is different and recognition appears to lag behind. Although art and technology and their common ground may be the playfield of women and men alike, women seem to be absent in the public eye, or at least in the public image at large. As is the case in many fields, women are underrepresented or misrepresented in the media and in public debate. No doubt it will take a few more generations before this situation is corrected, if ever. Meanwhile, books such as this one are necessary. Annoying as it may be for the reader who acknowledges and appreciates the contribution of women in the field, it is important that this contribution is documented, inventoried, published and critically evaluated so as not to let memory fade and public opinion hide what is clearly visible for the knowledgeable.

The book originates from a Leonardo Journal project of the same name, trying to do what it takes to put the work of women artists and creators of technology in the spotlight. It is a compendium of the work of women artists who have played a central role in the development of new media practice.

The book has a series foreword, a foreword proper, a preface and an introduction, of which we shall say nothing more. In the essays of the first section, "Overviews," five authors—women, obviously—develop the main threads that hold together 4 decades of artistic creation by women. From the very beginnings in the 1960s and 1970s up to more recent works in the realm of telecommunications art and the Web, the reader gets a well-informed overview of factual history and landmark works by groundbreaking artists and curators. It is not surprising to see how in so many new areas of development in art and technology, the first exploratory steps have been taken by men and women alike, even though the names of the women may have faded faster than those of their male contemporaries.

The second and largest section of the book has 26 contributions by women artists about their work, their goals, their obsessions and their successes. In my opinion, this is undoubtedly the most important part of the book and the real rationale for its publication, as most of these previously published writings are hard to come by today. Moreover, most of these short pieces are delightfully written, giving evidence of the clarity of vision, the enthusiasm, the necessity and the "drive" behind these artists' works. There are contributions from Steina Vasulka and Dara Birnbaum, Donna Cox and Judith Barry, Nell Tenhaaf and Char Davies, Linda Austin and Dawn Stoppiello, to name but a few. And the ones that I cannot list for the sake of brevity are just as interesting and necessary as these.

The third part has another five essays that shed light on the subject from a slightly different angle. Jaishree K. Odin does some cartwheels in a deconstructive reconstruction of Shelley Jackson's Patchwork Girl and this approach obligingly quenches the thirst for any postmodern jargon. Simone Osthoff and Martha Burkle Bonecchi write some very interesting pieces on the contributions from Brazil and the situation of women in developing countries. Carol Stakenas connects the politics of the Web with the fight against HIV/AIDS, and finally, Zoe Sofia peeks into a future that may be posthistoric, transhuman and extraterrestrial but will still have to acknowledge the existence of the many voices and many visions of women artists.

As I said before, this is a necessary book because it brings together so many important artists...